Strawberries
by LolliBea
Summary: Summery Love story. Lots of short chapters updates quickly. Fluffy.
1. Chapter 1

She hopped down the steps in slow motion in his eyes. One hand delicately trailing down the rail. Soft white linen of her dress whipping around her pink knees. He was entranced, rooted to the spot holding on to the mangy old boot that magic'd him there. None of the other red heads poking their heads out of the windows or from the garden were in his narrow field of vision. when she landed on the grass sprinting time sped up for him. She smacked into him a fair amount. It must have seemed like more to the onlookers because it made his knees almost buckle.

"Teddy," she squeaked and kissed him on both cheeks. He was painfully aware now; of the onlookers, of the figure attached to him, and of her thin, soft dress, of the skin of her thigh touching the skin below his shirt line, of her chest that moved quickly against his with every breath, of the heat in his cheeks, hearing the way she said his name for the first time in a year. "Oh, Ted, I've-" she planted another kiss on his forehead "-missed you-" and another, "so very much."

* * *

"Well, I won't miss you at all."

"Teddy," she whimpered.

"Have fun at butt-batons, loser."

"Theodore Lupin!" Grandma Weasley interceded.

"Sorry, Vic I'll write you." He waved one last good bye and pulled his head inside the train window before it left the station.

"I'm glad I'm not going to Hogwarts, this year."

"Oh, you'll miss it faster than you think." Vic's father said as they began walking back to the exit.

"You will love it at Beaubatons, Pumpkin." Her mother promised as she kissed Vic's forehead.


	2. Chapter 2

Vicky,  
I hope you're okay at beaubatons.  
Make lots of friends.  
-Ted

Teddy,  
I'll take that as an apology.  
-Victoire

Beaubatons was posh, to say the least. The girls did not like her slight accent but they admired her veela heritage.

"You must have many boys follow you at Hogwarts."  
"Oh, a few. None of the boys there are so fit, though." she lied.  
"Have you had a boyfriend?" They were trying to make her slip up, but she was not so dim.  
"There was one boy. I'm rather picky."  
"Do any of the boys here tempt you?"  
Victoire was becoming quickly annoyed. "We'll see. I haven't met any yet."  
"Oh, too good for all the boys?" the other girls laughed. Victoire laughed to fit in, but didn't feel the spirit.

Dear Ted,  
Beaubatons is great. It's always sunny. I've made friends with everyone. I can't see myself coming back to Hogwarts anytime soon.  
Give Professor longbottom my regards,  
Victoire


	3. Chapter 3

Vicky,  
Professor Longbottom is quite melancholy without his star pupil. Come home.  
-Ted

Victoire kept the letter in her pocket all week, willing herself not to write that she would be home in time for the Halloween feast. What she wouldn't give to have a nice pumpkin pasty and see some friendly faces. She was daydreaming about throwing the first snowball of the year at Teddy's face when she realized the girls in her class were snickering at her.  
"Mademoiselle Weasley." Her professor glanced over her spectacles. "Can you tell me what we were working with last week?"  
"Unicorn blood," she said too quietly ,and then corrected herself, "the- all of the uses of unicorn blood, madame."

There was no Herbology at beaubatons, and Victoire would give anything to be working even with the Venomous Tenacula right now. She drifted off again into her english daydreams.

"She said she might come home for christmas,"  
"I'm sure Fleur will make her come home, Teddy."  
"But, what if they decide to go to France this year?"  
"They did that last year, didn't they?" Professor Longbottom turned to fill up his watering can; Teddy had been over-watering plants in his frustration, "and you were quite ready to be rid of her, remember?" Neville put on a mocking voice, "Oh, professor, make her leave me alone. It's so embarrassing to have a girl follow you around. She jabbers non-stop."  
"She does jabber non-stop."  
"Well, now we know what happens when she's not here to jabber at you."  
"What?"  
"You jabber in her place."

Dear Vicky,  
I hope you haven't talked all your friends' ears off about how fantastic your best friend is. They'll all be wanting to visit.  
-Teddy


	4. Chapter 4

Ted,  
Oh, I've forgotten to mention you, actually. Besides they're all so head over heels for all the gentlemen here. I don't think you're quite to their taste.  
I will be too busy to write much with the exams coming so quickly,  
See you in a few weeks,  
-Victoire

"She's home by now."  
"Wish we got out that early."  
Ted grinned evilly. "Bet she's enjoying the snow."  
"Oh, eet is so cold here," Jacob mocked in a high voice, "I wish zat Teddy were here to warm me up."  
"She doesn't have an accent." Frank corrected.  
"Shut up." Ted ducked back down to his essay. "and leave her alone."  
"You leave her alone."

Christmas was busy. Victoire was quiet, she didn't participate much in the weasley/potter festivities. Ted regaled stories of Hogwarts to the younger kids eager to have their time there and even tried to scare up a snowy game of quidditch that ended in hot chocolate by the fire. Victoire was game for the hot chocolate.  
Lily, Hugo and Rose had fallen asleep under the christmas tree while Albus and James regaled the quidditch match by the fire. Teddy sat down next to victoire.  
" . . .You cold?" Why were words suddenly so awkward for them. They had never lacked in conversation before. The steady fear that they were growing apart was too much for Ted. He handed her a blanket and asked her a few questions about school before she fell asleep.

It was two months before they exchanged any letters.


	5. Chapter 5

Happy valentines to you too, Teddy.  
Thank you for the chocolates. I hope you don't mind but I told Edmund that you were my cousin. It would seem awkward for me to receive chocolates from someone seeing as I have a boyfriend now.  
Though, I have sent you a lovely card.  
Yours,  
Victoire

"You have-" frank could not finish his sentence for laughter.  
Teddy briskly wiped all of the sparkling pink confetti out of his hair but it was useless as it would return in a few moments regardless. He tried turning his hair pink to hide it all. It worked for a little while until he turned his head and a pile of it went cascading down his robes.

Victoire,  
Your hair is like an unripened strawberry,  
Your face like a pig,  
I hope you don't get angry,  
But I've sent you some devil's fig.

Ted,  
That doesn't rhyme.  
and you've ruined a set of my school robes. What is wrong with you?  
Victoire,

You used to laugh at jokes, that's what's wrong. What's been up with you lately? Is that boy giving you trouble? Because I will hop on my broom and be there in a second if there's a problem.  
and I mean that, Vic, any problem. even if you're just a little sad. Let me know.  
-Ted

"You seem upset, Babe."  
"No, Edmund, I'm fine."  
"Cool. Fancy a snog?"

Ted,  
I'll let you know if the occcasion arises.  
Thank you,  
Vicky


	6. Chapter 6

Hey vicky, If you're awake meet me at the weasley's quidditch field.  
-Ted

"You couldn't wait until tomorrow morning," she said as she hopped off her broom, "Just to say-"  
"Hi!" Teddy picked her up round the middle and spun her around. "I honestly couldn't wait." he sat her back on solid ground. "Tell me about your school, please, and give me more than a two line answer. I don't care if you talk my ear off for the next week as long as you go back to being my friend. I can't hang out with Frank and Jacob anymore they'll drive me nuts."  
"I thought it wasn't cool to be friends with girls?" she was still hurt.  
"I thought boys were stupid." he retorted playfully. "You can even tell me all about your boyfriend. I don't care. Just, talk to me again?"  
"Well, he's not my boyfriend anymore, and boys are stupid-" she punched him in the arm. "but, school is good. I've made some friends. . ." She gave him as little information as possible. Trying to sound happy about beau-batons. She ended up talking about the weather and the sea a lot. "And the strawberries are in season for almost the whole year." She laid back in the grass, "I could die from eating those strawberries." She was beginning t convince herself that she missed the school. "Sun ripened."  
"oh, the sun, tell me, Vicky is there sun there?" He teased, "I couldn't tell, from all the talk about it, or from your skin, which has been sun-kissed itself." He touched her arm and felt her hairs raise a little. His heart plummeted into his stomach. "I heard there's a beach, too." He continued.  
"Oh, har har, Teddy," she sat back up and rubbed the spot on her arm, "You wanted me to talk and I have said my peace, now what?"  
"Now kiss me." it slipped out of his mouth before he thought it.  
"What?"  
"Only joking." he said though he was aware it wasn't funny.  
"Humorous as ever." In the light of the rising sun he fancied she was blushing.


	7. Chapter 7

"Write me everyday," She squeezed him tightly  
"I will; You'll be so sick of my writing that you'll beg me to stop." he made to let her go but she held steadfast.  
"Please, Teddy no more jokes," she teased,"They're just too hilarious I can't handle them," She let him slip a few inches away but still held him strong.  
"har har." he stared her down.  
"har." She stared back, eyebrow raised daring him to tease further. He had no come back, but had suddenly become very preoccupied with the shape of her lips.  
"Vic, I-" The whistle blew for the train.  
"I'll see you soon." Suddenly her voice felt heavy.  
"I'll write."

This is torture. I arrived at school so determined that I should loathe every second I was away from Teddy, but I've grown to enjoy my time here. Looking forward to his evening letters has made me a smiling stupid optimist. Waiting is not so bad since the consistency of letters is fair. I wake up grumpy, as per usual, but as the day goes on I grow more and more excited. Even though I cannot share all the excitement I feel I find no lack of words flowing from my pen as I lay down my return lines each night. As of late I have taken to rereading some of the lines as I fall to sleep, sometimes they suggest at something more left unsaid. I know that there are many unsaid sentiments in mine. Some days I will up the courage to ask about that first day over the summer. I know Teddy said that he was only pulling my leg, but I cannot erase his expression from my mind when he asked me to kiss him. I also cannot eradicate these butterflies that come with the passing memory though they have faded sufficiently, they catch me off guard. I have yet found occasion to ask.

-Victoire

"I must not ask her to marry me. That would be absurd. We're only sixteen. She's probably had fifty strange men ask her already. I wonder if veela powers work through owls. . . is that what's wrong with me? She's never messed with my head before. This is crazy." Ted crinkled up another paper with illegible blots on it. He put his pen to the paper again and then jumped up and walked around the room. Setting it down finally, determined to reveal nothing of his feelings, but to win her over this coming summer, in person, and bring her back to Hogwarts with him. . .


End file.
